Wall module for buildings

ABSTRACT

A wall module comprises face panels and stud members connected to and spacing the face panels from one another. End panels are connected to ends of the assembly of the face panels and of the stud members to form a box body with the face panels and the stud members, the box body having an inner cavity. Cross member(s) extend between stud members and/or between the face panels. The body box has an elongated upstanding shape when the assembly of the face panels and of the stud members is vertical, such that the face panels form a wall when a plurality of the wall module are positioned side by side with the stud members of adjacent ones of the wall modules being coplanar. A wall comprises a plurality of the wall modules.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application claims the priority of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/556,808, filed on Sep. 11, 2017 and incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present application relates to building materials and more specifically to a wall module for modular building construction.

BACKGROUND OF THE ART

The construction industry, especially for residential construction, as evolved over the years to lessen the costs of construction, yet for better quality homes, that are ecofriendly, with optimized construction costs. In particular, there is a steady demand for new homes, including cottages and chalets that are built with an environment conscience, and are energy efficient to eventually result in savings on energy costs. Accordingly, pre-fabricated homes and value-added materials have progressed in recent times to reduce construction costs. The underlying concept is to perform some tasks in the controlled environment of a plant, as opposed to moving such tasks at a construction site, exposed to the elements. For example, constructions conditions may be harsh in colder climates, and construction projects may often be halted.

In this line of thought, a substantial amount of time goes into building walls of a dwelling. As the walls have an important role in the quality of a construction, in terms of air barrier, waterproofing, insulation, soundproofing, etc, the construction of walls is a crucial task, in which various components, panels, membranes, must be assembled. There results a risk of faulty construction. It is therefore desirable to create a wall module that addresses issues related to the prior art.

SUMMARY

It is therefore an aim of the present disclosure to provide a wall module that addresses issues related to the prior art.

Therefore, in accordance with a first embodiment of the present disclosure, there is provided, a wall module comprising: at least a first face panel and a second face panel, stud members connected to and spacing the face panels from one another, end panels connected to ends of the assembly of the face panels and of the stud members to form a box body with the face panels and the stud members, the box body having an inner cavity, and at least one cross member extending between stud members and/or between the face panels, wherein the body box has an elongated upstanding shape when the assembly of the face panels and of the stud members is vertical, such that the face panels form a wall when a plurality of the wall module are positioned side by side with the stud members of adjacent ones of the wall modules being coplanar.

Further in accordance with the first embodiment, an insulating material is for instance in the inner cavity.

Still further in accordance with the first embodiment, the box body has for instance a rectangular prism shape.

Still further in accordance with the first embodiment, the box body has for instance a rectangular prism clearance at its bottom extending between the stud members and to a bottom one of the end members.

Still further in accordance with the first embodiment, one of the face panel is for instance a cover panel connected to a remainder of the box body.

Still further in accordance with the first embodiment, a joint having complementary inner shoulder and outer shoulder is for instance defined between the cover panel and the remainder of the box body.

Still further in accordance with the first embodiment, the face panels, the stud members and the end panels each include for instance at least one layer of fiberboard.

Still further in accordance with the first embodiment, an air barrier coating and/or a vapor barrier coating covers for instance all exposed surfaces of the box body.

Still further in accordance with the first embodiment, the end panels each include for instance at least one layer of a wood plank or of plywood.

Still further in accordance with the first embodiment, the at least one cross member is for instance parallel to the end panels.

Still further in accordance with the first embodiment, corner reinforcements are for instance at junctions between the at least one cross member and the stud members.

Still further in accordance with the first embodiment, corner reinforcements are for instance at junctions between the stud members and the end members.

Still further in accordance with the first embodiment, the corner reinforcements are for instance elongated triangular prisms.

Still further in accordance with the first embodiment, a grid of nailing strips is for instance on the first face panel and/or the second face panel, on an exterior of the box body.

Still further in accordance with the first embodiment, the box body has for instance a width of 2′±3″.

Still further in accordance with the first embodiment, the box body has for instance a height of at least 9′±6″.

Still further in accordance with the first embodiment, the box body has for instance a thickness of 13″±3″.

In accordance with a second embodiment of the present disclosure, there is provided a wall module comprising: a box construction made of face panels, bottom and top members and side stud members, concurrently defining an inner cavity, cross members in the inner cavity to define cells, and insulating material in the cells.

Further in accordance with the second embodiment, the face panels, bottom and top members and side stud members are for instance made of fiberboard.

Still further in accordance with the second embodiment, the cross members are for instance made of fiberboard.

Still further in accordance with the second embodiment, at least one nailing strip grid is for instance on at least one of the face panels.

Still further in accordance with the second embodiment, the at least one nailing strip grid is for instance offset from the face panel it is connected to, to form with the face panel a tongue and groove arrangement for side by side connection of the wall module with another one of the wall module.

Still further in accordance with the second embodiment, the face panels, the bottom and top members, the side stud members and the cross members are for instance glued to one another.

Still further in accordance with the second embodiment, the box construction includes for instance a box body defined by at least one of the face panels, the bottom and top members and side stud members, and a face cover defined by at least one other of the face panels.

In accordance with a third embodiment, there is provided a wall comprising a plurality of the wall modules as described for instance above, wherein the wall modules are for instance positioned side by side with the stud members of adjacent ones of the wall modules being coplanar.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a wall module in accordance with the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the wall module of FIG. 1, with a face cover removed;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the wall module of FIG. 2, with insulating material therein;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of the wall module as in FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a side cross-section elevational view, fragmented, of the wall module of FIG. 1,

FIG. 6 is a top plan cross-section view of the wall module of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged top plan cross-section view of a junction between a pair of side-by-side wall modules of FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a floor plan view of a building having a plurality of the wall modules of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 9 is a sectional view of a floor elevation of building having a plurality of the wall modules of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to the drawings and more particularly to FIGS. 1 to 4, a wall module in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure is generally shown at 10. The wall module 10 is of the type that is used in the construction of a building, such as a small house or dwelling. The expression “wall module” 10 is used due to the modular nature of a wall made of the wall modules 10, but other expressions could be used, including box, chest, etc. . . . The wall module 10 is a value-added product, in that it serves numerous functions by its composite construction. The wall module 10 is structural as it can support outdoor siding, sheathing, air and vapour barriers, drywall and interior wall finishes, etc. The wall module 10 is therefore self-standing and supports itself, and components thereon, though it is not a load bearing component—it is used in conjunction with columns, in a similar manner as a stud. However, it may be possible to select materials of the wall module 10 and add reinforcements if necessary such that it has load bearing capacity, for instance to support the load of walls and floors. The wall module 10 may also have substantial insulating properties, making it the major insulating component of a house wall. The wall module 10 may also have substantial insulating and soundproofing properties.

The details of construction of the wall module 10 will be described in further detail hereinafter. However, from a general standpoint, the wall module 10 has a box construction, with a box body 12, upon which is mounted a face cover 13 (also known as a face panel, but referred to as face cover 13 to distinguish it from face panels of the box body 12 described herein). The face cover 13 may ultimately be permanently secured to a remainder of the box body 12 to form an integral wall module 10. Accordingly, the box body 12 is generally hollow and may or may not form a plurality of inner cells, with an insulating material 14, such as rockwool, foam, fiberglass or any appropriate type of insulating material, received therein, and held captive by the face cover 13. The box body 12 is said to be hollow in that its structural components define one or more inner cavity, which may then be filled with the insulating material 14. In an embodiment, during assembly, the face cover 13 is the last panel among the face panels that is attached to the box body 12, after the insulating material 14 and other box inserts have been installed in the cavity/cells of the box body 12. In use, the wall module 10 is positioned upright, i.e., it is upstanding. Stated differently, the body box 12 has an elongated upstanding shape when the assembly of face panels and of stud members is vertical, such that the face panels form a wall when a plurality of the wall module 10 are positioned side by side with the stud members of adjacent ones of the wall modules 10 being coplanar. At a bottom of the wall module 10, the box body 12 may have an extension 15 projecting downwardly, such that a clearance 16 is adjacent to the extension 15, i.e., to its side, in vertical register. The extension 15 is an option, as the box body 12 may not necessarily have such an extension. For example, the box body 12 may be in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped or rectangular prism as in FIG. 10, to be fixed a higher beam and a lower beam. As shown in FIG. 5, the clearance 16, if present, is used for the wall module 10 to be posed and fastened onto a beam A. The clearance 16 may be sized such that the beam A has a plane that is generally flush or coplanar with one of the two main faces of the wall module 10. In the illustrated embodiment, the clearance 16 is below the main face of the wall module 10 that is oriented toward an interior of the building, although the reverse arrangement is contemplated as well. The clearance 16 may be defined as having a rectangular prism shape. The extension 15 may also be defined as having rectangular prism shape as well with three of its faces being continuous and coplanar with a remainder of the box body 12.

As an option, nailing strips 17 (concurrently described as 17, but shown as 17A and 17B in the figures) may be provided on one or both of the main faces of the wall module 10. In the figures, both of the main faces of the wall module 10 have nailing strips, including vertical nailing strips 17A and horizontal nailing strips 17B, forming a grid of nailing strips 17. As mentioned above, the wall module 10 may be without pre-added nailing strips 17, or could have nailing strips 17 on a single of its main faces, and/or only vertical or horizontal nailing strips. Also, orientations other than vertical and horizontal may be used for the nailing strips 17. The nailing strips 17 are typically made of wood planks, although other materials are considered as well. In an embodiment, the grid of nailing strips 17A and 17B may be offset from one of the two main faces of the wall module 10, to form a tongue and groove, for the side-by-side assembly of wall modules 10. In an embodiment, the tongue and groove are vertical, and project laterally. Other expressions may be used for the offset joint, such as an overlap joint formed by the grid of nailing strips 17. In the illustrated embodiment, the tongue-and-groove arrangement is on the main face of the wall module 10 that will oriented toward an interior of the building, although the reverse arrangement is contemplated as well. Other types of joints may be used, and the wall module 10 may also be without such a joint arrangement. As another option, a column or stud may be positioned over the junction line between adjacent wall modules 10.

During use, as shown in FIGS. 5 to 9, the wall modules 10 are positioned side by side, with the wall modules 10 seated on the beam A via their clearances 16, if present, or by being seated directly onto the beam A, or other structure such as a floor, the ground, etc. If present, the tongue-and-groove arrangement of the grids of nailing strips 17 assists in forming a lateral connection between adjacent wall modules 10. Additional horizontal nail strips B may also be used to connect side-by-side pairs of vertical nailing strips 17A (FIG. 7). A membrane or waterproof sealant may also be added between the junction of the wall modules 10, namely on the side faces as shown in FIG. 7, to form a waterproof and air barrier. As explained herein, a coating or membranes on the wall modules 10 may form the air and vapour barriers, and waterproofing. Any appropriate connector, such as angle C, may then be used to connect the top of the wall modules 10 to an upper beam A or joist, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 9.

According to an embodiment, all wall modules 10 come in a same width, such that the walls of a building may be made of a single type of wall module 10, with other modules such as window and door modules, or with size compatible wall modules. Alternatively, there may be wall modules 10 of different sizes, such as sizes that are factors of one another (e.g., 2×, 3×). As another possibility, it is contemplated to provide half-size modules, i.e., modules with half the width. Referring to FIG. 8, a floor plan of a typical construction made of wall modules 10 is shown. The floor plan is divided into a grid of 3′0″×3′0″ or 4′0″×4′0″ squares (as an example only), with the wall modules 10 and window/door modules having a width of 4′0″ or 4′0″ in conformity with the grid of 3′0″×3′0″, or of 4′0″×4′0″. The uniform width of the wall modules 10 and window/door modules allows the permutation of the modules. This may facilitate increasing the size of a house made of the wall modules 10, displace windows, doors, etc. According to an embodiment, suitable dimensions for a wall module 10 are at least 9′±6″ of height, 2′±3″ of width, and 13″±3″ of thickness. Other modules 10 is such a set could have a width of 2×, 3×, thus 4′, 6′, etc.

Now that a method of using the wall modules 10 has been described, an exemplary embodiment of its construction is set forth. The box body 12 has various components, described herein with reference numerals in the 20s, for ease of reference. The wall module 10 has face panels 20A and 20B (concurrently, panels 20), of rectangular shape. If the wall module 10 is a rectangular prism as in FIG. 10, the box body 12 has a single panel 20. The face panel 20A faces toward an interior of the house when the wall module 10 is installed, although the reserve arrangement is also contemplated. The face panel 20A is therefore the major interior facing component of the box body 12, in terms of area. In the embodiment in which the wall module 10 has the extension 15, the face panel 20B delimits a portion of the clearance 16, and may consequently be coplanar with beam A as in FIG. 5 when the wall module 10 is connected to the beam A. Although the expression “panel” is used in the singular as the face panels 20 are each one integral panel, the panels 20 may be constituted of numerous layers, plies, panels or subpanels, concurrently forming the panels 20. This also applies to all other panel-like components described herein, including stud members 21, end members such as base members 22A and 22B and top member 23, cross members 24, as well as the face cover 13. As observed, the face cover 13, stud members 21, base members 22A and 22B, top member 23, cross members 24 are all panels that have a substantially planar surface that is exposed when they are all assembled in the box body 12.

The stud members 21 are on opposite side edges of the panels 20, and are substantially perpendicular to the panel 20A. The stud members 21 project from the panel 20A toward an exterior of the building, when the wall module 10 is installed. The stud members 21 are not rectangular in the illustrated figures, as they each have a bottom projection 21A that defines the extension 15 and the clearance 16. Accordingly, the base members 22A and 22B are connected to a bottom of the stud members 21, along with the face panel 20B, the stud members 21 acting as stringer for the base members 22A, 22B and the face panel 20B. In such an embodiment, a bottom plane of the box body 12 may be defined by the base member 22A. In an alternative embodiment, in which the box body 12 is a rectangular parallelepiped, as shown in FIG. 10, the stud members 21 are rectangles, with a single base member 22 at the bottom of the stud members 21, in a substantially perpendicular arrangement.

The top member 23 is connected atop the stud members 21, and defines an upper plane of the wall module 10. The top member 23 is therefore perpendicular to the face panel 20A and to the stud members 21. The assembly of the face panels 20A, 20B, stud members 21, base members 22A, 22B and top member 23 concurrently defines an inner cavity of the hollow box body 12, in which the insulating material 14 will be received.

In order to increase the rigidity of the box body 12, the cross members 24 are included in the inner cavity of the box body 12. The cross members 24 extend from one stud member 21 to the other and/or between the face panel 20, 20A and the face cover 13, and may also contact the face panel 20A, consequently defining the cells of the wall module 10. In the illustrated embodiment, there are five such cross members 24, although fewer or more face panels 20A may be present. The cross members 24 may be glued, nailed, screwed and/or strengthened by one or more dowel (e.g., wood dowels, plastic dowels or dowels of other materials), etc to the stud members 21 and/or face panel 20A. Stated differently, different combinations of connection components may be present among the ones listed, for the connection between the stud members 21 and the cross members 24 to be robust. Moreover, the lowest one of the cross members 24 is shown as being aligned with the base member 22B. In such a case, the lowest one of the cross members 24 may be an extension of the base member 22B, i.e., they are one integral panel. Corner reinforcements 25 may be provided at the junction between the face panel 20A, stud members 21 and/or top member 23, and/or cross members 24, to add to the structural rigidity of the wall module 10. The corner reinforcements 25 may have any appropriate shape (e.g., elongated triangular prism such as shown), and may be glued, nailed, screwed, and/or strengthened by one or more dowel (e.g., wood dowels, plastic dowels or dowels of other materials), etc, and may be made of any appropriate material, including wood planks.

As best seen in FIGS. 2 and 4, the stud members 21, base member 22A and top member 23 may or may not concurrently define a rim 26 and inner shoulder 27, both surrounding the inner cavity of the box body 12, with the inner shoulder 27 being inward of the rim 26. As mentioned above, the various panels (20-24) may be constituted of numerous layers, plies, panels or subpanels, and such constructions may be used to form the rim 26/inner shoulder 27. Alternatively, in another embodiment, the inner shoulder 27 may be machined into the stud members 21, base member 22A and top member 23. Screwing plates 28 may be located interiorly of the wall modules 10, for the wall modules 10 to offer purchase to screws by which the wall modules 10 are fastened to surrounding beams, as shown in FIG. 5.

For mating engagement, the face cover 13 has complementary parts, namely an outer shoulder 36, and projecting face 37. The projecting face 37 is sized to be received flush within the rim 26 and against the inner shoulder 27. Likewise, the rim 26 is received against the outer shoulder 36. In an embodiment, the projecting face 37 lies planar against the inner shoulder 27 and cross members 24. This mating engagement may further improve the structural rigidity of the assembled wall module 10. However, the face cover 13 may be a flat panel without any shoulder and may simply be laid flat against the rim 26 or outer periphery of the box body 12. Moreover, the face cover 13 may be permanently secured to the box body 12, and not be openable to preserve the integrity of any surface coating that the wall module 10 may have. For example, once the face cover 13 closes the box body 12, a coating, a sealing tape, etc may be laid onto a joint between the face cover 13 and a remainder of the box body 12. In fact, such a coating may be provided along all edges of the box body 12. The coating may be an airtight coating, sealing all joints between panels for the box body 12 to be sealed. As the panels may already be coated with a vapor barrier coating and/or an air barrier, the wall modules 10 may be airproof barriers. In an embodiment, there is one type of coating on a wall of the wall module 10 facing an interior, and another type of coating on a wall of the wall module 10 facing an exterior. The wall modules 10 may consequently be fabricated in plant and be shipped to construction sites in ready-to-install format.

In the selection of materials, the various panels of the wall modules 10 may be made of fiberboard, such as high-density fiberboard, or medium-density fiberboard. In an embodiment, the wood fibers used are recycled and/or recyclable. According to an embodiment, the density of fiberboard ranges between 15 lb/pi³ and 17 lb/pi³, although other ranges are possible. The fibers may be natural fibers, including or mainly from recycled fibers. The panels forming the exterior envelope of the wall modules 10, namely the face cover 13 and the panels and members 20-24, may include a fire-retardant or fireproof additive to slow combustion rate. Such fire-retardant or fireproof additive during fabrication of the panels or may be applied to the assembled box body 12. The panels may be subpanels laminated to one another, with overlapping joints where necessary, for instance as shown at E in FIG. 5. Moreover, tongue-and-groove arrangements, perpendicular junctions, or like complementary connection arrangements, as shown at F in FIGS. 5 and 6, may also be present. As for the cross members 24, they may or may not include fire-retardant additives. Other materials are also contemplated, as an alternative to fiberboard, such as plywood, MDF, among other possibilities. According to an embodiment, the base members 22, 22A, 22B, and the top member 23 may include one or more layers of a fiberboard, with a layer of wood (e.g., plain wood, a wood plank, plywood), for instance inside of the cavity of the box body 12, the layer of wood being used as reinforcement.

The panels forming the faces of the wall module 10 may have a coating or membrane thereon, providing them with waterproof and air barrier properties. For example, the face cover 13 may have such membrane or coating, but that is however permeable to vapour, if it is oriented toward an exterior of the building. In an embodiment, the stud members 21 may have such coating/membranes. The face cover 13 faces toward an exterior of the building, and thus the membrane shields the wall module 10 from outside elements. Side-by-side wall modules 10 are joined by coplanar stud members 21, whereby the presence of such membrane, waterproof sealant or coating may form a waterproof and air barrier at the junction between side-by-side modules 10. Likewise, a joint strip G (FIG. 6) may be added along the edge between the face panel 20A and the stud members 21 to form another level of protection against air infiltration and water penetration at a junction between wall modules 10. The material of the joint membrane G may be deformable, i.e., non-rigid, for the joint membrane G to adapt to the junction between adjacent wall modules 10. The surfaces of the wall module 10 that are oriented toward an interior of the building 10, i.e., the face panels 20A and 20B in the illustrated embodiment, may have a vapor barrier coating, as is conventional in house wall construction.

It is observed that these various coatings and membranes are inward of the numerous nailing strips 17, such that they are less exposed to damages. Again, the membranes and coatings may be installed in plant, with the nailing strip grids 17 added after in plant, for suppliers to provide wall modules 10 complying with desired standards.

The use of appropriate materials, and a proper installation can lead to a wall having high insulation and soundproofing properties (R-value over 45 and STC over 65 in some instances). Moreover, the environmental footprint of the wall modules 10 may be minimized, if the modules are manufactured with recycled and/or recyclable materials. 

1. A wall module comprising: at least a first face panel and a second face panel, stud members connected to and spacing the face panels from one another, end panels connected to ends of the assembly of the face panels and of the stud members to form a box body with the face panels and the stud members, the box body having an inner cavity, and at least one cross member extending between stud members and/or between the face panels, wherein the body box has an elongated upstanding shape when the assembly of the face panels and of the stud members is vertical, such that the face panels form a wall when a plurality of the wall module are positioned side by side with the stud members of adjacent ones of the wall modules being coplanar.
 2. The wall module according to claim 1, further comprising an insulating material in the inner cavity.
 3. The wall module according to claim 1, wherein the box body has a rectangular prism shape.
 4. The wall module according to claim 1, wherein the box body has a rectangular prism clearance at its bottom extending between the stud members and to a bottom one of the end members.
 5. The wall module according to claim 1, wherein one of the face panel is a cover panel connected to a remainder of the box body.
 6. The wall module according to claim 5, wherein a joint having complementary inner shoulder and outer shoulder is defined between the cover panel and the remainder of the box body.
 7. The wall module according to claim 1, wherein the face panels, the stud members and the end panels each include at least one layer of fiberboard.
 8. The wall module according to claim 1, further comprising an air barrier and/or a vapour barrier coating covering all exposed surfaces of the box body.
 9. The wall module according to claim 1, wherein the end panels each include at least one layer of a wood plank or of plywood.
 10. The wall module according to claim 1, wherein the at least one cross member is parallel to the end panels.
 11. The wall module according to claim 1, further comprising corner reinforcements at junctions between the at least one cross member and the stud members.
 12. The wall module according to claim 1, further comprising corner reinforcements at junctions between the stud members and the end members.
 13. (canceled)
 14. The wall module according to claim 1, further comprising a grid of nailing strips on the first face panel and/or the second face panel, on an exterior of the box body.
 15. The wall module according to claim 1, wherein the box body has a width of 2′±3″.
 16. The wall module according to claim 1, wherein the box body has a height of at least 9′±6″.
 17. The wall module according to claim 1, wherein the box body has a thickness of 13″±3″.
 18. A wall module comprising: a box construction made of face panels, bottom and top members and side stud members, concurrently defining an inner cavity, cross members in the inner cavity to define cells, and insulating material in the cells. 19.-20. (canceled)
 21. The wall module according to claim 18, further comprising at least one nailing strip grid on at least one of the face panels.
 22. (canceled)
 23. The wall module according to claim 18, wherein the face panels, the bottom and top members, the side stud members and the cross members are glued to one another.
 24. The wall module according to claim 18, wherein the box construction includes a box body defined by at least one of the face panels, the bottom and top members and side stud members, and a face cover defined by at least one other of the face panels.
 25. (canceled) 